Editorial Page: This page will be the focus of Phase 2 of this year's project. Arguments and facts from the 'arguments page' as well as other facts found after the 'Arguments Pages' were completed are embedded in this sample editorial.
Put Away Number 2 Pencils. Eliminate Exit Exams [Sample Editorial] Sixty-five percent of U.S. public high school students are currently required to pass high school exit exams before they can receive their diplomas, (National Center for Fair and Open Testing, 2010). However, the ruling in these states is both archaic and wrong. Multiple choice tests do not and cannot accurately assess students on life skills such as time management or exhibition of good study habits because skills necessary to be a good time manager can’t be determined by filled in bubbles on machine-scanned answer sheets. Stop the practice before any more students fall victim to an educational assessment gone terribly wrong.
According to educational researchers, Warren, Jenkins, and Kulick, (2009), state exit exams reduce high school graduation rates. It has been found that students in danger of being unable to pass exit exams frequently drop out of school or are discouraged and even barred from re-enrolling in districts where they’d previously attended classes because their deficient scores don’t fare well for school districts according to NCLB expectations and mandates. The safety net for students on the fringe is ripped away when they lose the opportunity to graduate with a diploma because of issues outside their control. Quality time and resources are taken from teachers’ instructional time because of the expense and time commitment involved in developing, implementing, and scoring exit exams. Students with disabilities, limited English proficiency, or those with insufficient time to master the material tested find themselves at a huge disadvantage.
The exit exams necessarily create a negative societal undercurrent where high school drop-outs often become a glut on society. High school diplomas should be earned through hard work and application of learned materials in school and not because of a passing grade on an archaic test. This practice of having students jump through one more hoop to receive the diploma they've earned after 13 years of public education needs to stop.
-Becky
Things to Include
Helpful Hints
Each team member's editorial should be found on this page.
Be sure to include your first name
Come up with a catchy title
Include your position statement somewhere in your introduction
Include at least three strong arguments from your arguments page in your letter, along with citations
Make sure your editorial has a strong conclusion
Use only the facts to persuade
Proofread for mistakes
In addition to posting on the wiki, submit each of your editorials to at least one newspaper.
A spreadsheet containing newspaper names/addresses/websites can be found on this Google Doc.
If your editorial is published, make a note of it ('published on date in name of newspaper')
If your editorial is published, you can link to, embed, or scan that copy if you'd like.
[Sample Editorial]
Sixty-five percent of U.S. public high school students are currently required to pass high school exit exams before they can receive their diplomas, (National Center for Fair and Open Testing, 2010). However, the ruling in these states is both archaic and wrong. Multiple choice tests do not and cannot accurately assess students on life skills such as time management or exhibition of good study habits because skills necessary to be a good time manager can’t be determined by filled in bubbles on machine-scanned answer sheets. Stop the practice before any more students fall victim to an educational assessment gone terribly wrong.
According to educational researchers, Warren, Jenkins, and Kulick, (2009), state exit exams reduce high school graduation rates. It has been found that students in danger of being unable to pass exit exams frequently drop out of school or are discouraged and even barred from re-enrolling in districts where they’d previously attended classes because their deficient scores don’t fare well for school districts according to NCLB expectations and mandates. The safety net for students on the fringe is ripped away when they lose the opportunity to graduate with a diploma because of issues outside their control. Quality time and resources are taken from teachers’ instructional time because of the expense and time commitment involved in developing, implementing, and scoring exit exams. Students with disabilities, limited English proficiency, or those with insufficient time to master the material tested find themselves at a huge disadvantage.
The exit exams necessarily create a negative societal undercurrent where high school drop-outs often become a glut on society. High school diplomas should be earned through hard work and application of learned materials in school and not because of a passing grade on an archaic test. This practice of having students jump through one more hoop to receive the diploma they've earned after 13 years of public education needs to stop.
-Becky